BRAUNSTONE TOWN COUNCIL www.braunstonetowncouncil.org.uk Darren Tilley – Executive Officer & Town Clerk Braunstone Civic Centre, Kingsway, Braunstone Town, Leicester, LE3 2PP Telephone: 0116 2890045 Fax: 0116 2824785 Email: [email protected] 12th August 2015 To: Councillor Nick Brown (Chair), Councillor Amanda Hack (Vice-Chair) and Councillors Anthea Ambrose, Shabbir Aslam, Alex DeWinter, Sam Maxwell, Stuart Maxwell, Phil Moitt, Gary Sanders, Robert Waterton and Bill Wright. Dear Councillor You are summonsed to attend a meeting of the POLICY & RESOURCES COMMITTEE to be held in the Fosse Room at Braunstone Civic Centre on Thursday, 20th August 2015 commencing at 7.30pm, for the transaction of the business as set out below. Yours sincerely, Executive Officer & Town Clerk AGENDA 1. Apologies To receive apologies for absence. 2. Disclosures of Interest To receive disclosures of Interest in respect of items on this agenda: a) Disclosable Pecuniary Interests, b) Other Interests (Non-Pecuniary). 3. Public Participation Members of the public may make representations, give evidence or answer questions in respect of any item of business included on the agenda. At the discretion of the Chairperson the meeting may be adjourned to give members of the public present an opportunity to raise other matters of public interest. 4. Minutes of the Meeting held 11th June 2015 To confirm the accuracy of the Minutes of the meeting held 11th June 2015 to be signed by the Chairperson (Enclosed). 5. Future Options for the Library and Customer Service Shop To consider the position and any decisions to be made in respect of an agreement with Blaby District Council on the Customer Service Shop. To receive an assessment of options for the Town Council to run Braunstone Town Library, including an assessment of risks (Enclosed). 1 1 6. Narborough Road South – Subways To consider progress with launching a community art project for the subways under Narborough Road South (Enclosed). 7. Council Reserves Following recommendations from the Internal Audit Report, to update the reserves section of the balance sheet to reflect the intended uses, movement during 2014/15 and the current balances (Enclosed). 8. Holmfield Park – Improvements To consider the current position with regard to external funding and to determine other options for funding the project (Enclosed). 9. Update on Replacement of Stolen Playground Equipment To receive a verbal update concerning the Insurance Claim and the replacement of a stolen slide and swings at Mossdale Meadows and a stolen slide at Franklin Park. 10. Thorpe Astley Community Centre - Medical Rooms To receive a verbal update on progress for opening the Medical Facility at Thorpe Astley Community Centre and to determine whether the Town Council needs to take any further action. 11. Legal Transfer of Open Spaces (Barratt Homes) Thorpe Astley To receive a report in respect of finalising the legal transfer of open space at Thorpe Astley from Barratt Homes to the Town Council (Enclosed). 12. Highways Grass Cutting To consider an offer from Blaby District Council concerning two verge cuts - one to be funded by Blaby District Council and one to be funded by the Town Council following the reduction in verge cuts by Leicestershire County Council from 7 to 5 per season (Enclosed). 13. Local Council Award Scheme To consider which level the Council wishes to apply for when the current award (Foundation level) expires in January 2016 and to consider actions required to meet the relevant criteria (Enclosed). 14. Open Space Audit - Consultation To receive the draft Blaby District Open Spaces Audit for consultation (Enclosed). 15. Blaby District Parish Remuneration Panel To consider whether the Town Council wishes to accept an offer from Blaby District Parish Remuneration Panel to review the allowances paid to Town Councillors (Enclosed). 16. Blaby Housing Strategy – Consultation To receive the draft Blaby District Housing Strategy for consultation (Enclosed). 2 2 17. Financial Comparisons To receive Financial Comparisons for the period 1st April 2015 to 31st July 2015 (Enclosed). 18. Millfield Hall Roof Refurbishment RECOMMENDED:- That in view of the special / confidential nature of the business to be transacted, it is advisable in the public interest that the press/public be temporary excluded and they be instructed to withdraw (Standing Orders 3.5 and 3.7 apply). Reasons for exception – Commercial Interests) To consider the current position with the contract for the refurbishment of Millfield Hall roof and alternative options (Enclosed for Councillors). 19. Long Term Lease Agreement – Braunstone Town Library RECOMMENDED:- That in view of the special / confidential nature of the business to be transacted, it is advisable in the public interest that the press/public be temporary excluded and they be instructed to withdraw (Standing Orders 3.5 and 3.7 apply). Reasons for exception – Legal Advice) To provide advice concerning the long term lease agreement for Braunstone Town Library within the context of the decisions being made by both the landlord and the tenant (Enclosed for Councillors). 20. Termination of the Meeting NOTE: CRIME & DISORDER ACT 1998 (SECTION 17) – The Council has an obligation to consider Crime and Disorder implications of all its activities and to do all that it can to prevent Crime and Disorder in its area. EQUALITIES ACT 2010 Braunstone Town Council has a duty in carrying out its functions to have due regard to:- • eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation; • advance equality of opportunity between different groups; and; • foster good relations between different groups To ensure that no person receives less favourable treatment on the basis of race, disability, sex, gender re- assignment, sexual orientation, age, religion or belief, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity. 3 3 ITEM 4 BRAUNSTONE TOWN COUNCIL MINUTES OF POLICY & RESOURCES COMMITTEE THURSDAY 11th JUNE 2015 AT 7.30PM PRESENT: Councillor Nick Brown (Chair) and Councillors Anthea Ambrose, Shabbir Aslam, Roger Berrington (substituting for Amanda Hack), Sam Maxwell, Stuart Maxwell, Phil Moitt, Chetan Parmar (substituting for Alex DeWinter), Gary Sanders, Robert Waterton and Bill Wright. Officers in Attendance: Darren Tilley, Executive Officer & Town Clerk. There was one member of the public present at the meeting. 1. Apologies Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Alex DeWinter and Amanda Hack. 2. Disclosures of Interest There were no disclosures of any Disclosable Pecuniary or Non-Pecuniary Interests by Members. 3. Public Participation In accordance with Standing Order 3.6, members of the public may attend the meeting for the purpose of making representations, giving evidence or answering questions in respect of any item of business included on the agenda. There was one member of the public present at the meeting, Mr. John Dodd. Mr. Dodd raised his concern, and that of the Braunstone Heritage Archive Group, that the County Council potentially would reject the Town Council’s proposals for Braunstone Town Library. He added that the Group fully supported the work of the Town Council in seeking to provide a long term solution acceptable to all that would see the continuation of Library Services. Mr. Dodd concluded that the Braunstone Heritage Archive Group would meet to discuss how it could assist the Town Council in this respect. 4. Minutes of the Meeting held 16th April 2015 The Minutes of the Meeting held on 16th April 2015 were circulated (item 4 on the agenda). RESOLVED that the Minutes of the meeting held on 16th April 2015 be approved and signed by the Chairperson as a correct record. 5796 4 5. Library / Customer Service Shop Update The Committee received an update on progress with the Town Council’s proposals for a Combined Public Services Facility and to consider further actions as necessary (item 5 on the agenda). It was noted that the date of Leicestershire County Council’s Cabinet meeting to discuss the Future Strategy for Libraries was 16th June 2015 (not 9th July as stated in the circulated report). RESOLVED 1. that, should Blaby District Council wish to progress the model in respect of the Customer Service Shop and Social Inclusion activities, the Executive Officer and Town Clerk liaise with Blaby District Council on further detailed arrangements for the model, including service levels and standards, the mechanism for identifying and reviewing the costs of the service and the contributions made by each organisation and submit the final proposal to Policy & Resources Committee for determination; 2. that, in the event of 1 above, the Town Council’s budget allocation for the Combined Public Services Facility proposal be allocated to funding the agreement with Blaby District Council for the Customer Service Shop; 3. that an assessment of options for Town Council to run Braunstone Town Library, including an assessment of risks, be presented to Policy & Resources Committee on 20th August 2015; 4. that legal advice be sought in connection with the property lease in the context of the decisions being made by both the landlord and the tenant and that this advice be reported to a future meeting of Policy & Resources Committee; and 5. that the Leader of the Council write to the County Council Lead Member expressing the Town Council’s disappointment that officers had proposed to Cabinet that the Town Council’s proposals not be accepted and urging the Cabinet to reconsider and explore the opportunities further with the Town Council. Reasons for Decision 1. To enable those Council’s which have a wider vision to direct resources to create community cohesion and social inclusion through maximising access to services, to ensure that the systems, processes and agreements would be made to avoid unnecessary delay. 2. To ensure that funding was allocated where a social and community need had been identified. 3. To consider different outline models and fully assess the risks and opportunities of the options. 4. To consider options for the lease to ensure that any future agreement on the Library service could be implemented.